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I Quit Google to Work for Myself (2018)

mtlynch.io

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Re: I Quit Google to Work for Myself (2018)

#171

Post by BossingAround »

KKKKkkkk1 wrote: post #35

My manager assured me that my promotion was close. He felt that I was already capable of senior-level work. I just needed the right project to prove it to the promotion committee. Who hasn't been there before. I've had my manager tell me I have a "bright future" in my team, a couple of weeks before it was dissolved.

Same here. I was doing an amazing work and my manager really feared me leaving the team. He'd do anything to keep me there. 2 months fast forward, the team has been canceled, and 20 people were searching for a new position.

Re: I Quit Google to Work for Myself (2018)

#172

Post by BossingAround »

hbgb wrote: post #94
tuesday20 wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My dad had just one job all his life, for 33 years. While he didn’t become rich, he did enjoy relative peace of mind, pension etc. Of course everything is relative, but there was a time where companies had a little bit of concern to their employees, however small it was. Those days are gone. These days, companies don’t even pretend. A very small percentage of people are going to do well, for the vast majority it is j…

I hate these flippant comparisons of unhealthy workplaces to slavery. People are paid and can go home to their families at night. Nobody is being whipped or sold or forced to have sex. Comparing a Google software developer to a slave is nonsense and undermines the horrors that real slaves went/go through.

> forced to have sex

The word you're looking for is rape.

Re: I Quit Google to Work for Myself (2018)

#173

Post by war1025 »

unlinked_dll wrote: post #147
heyflyguy wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Without sounding judgy, this is something that I joke with my fellow Gen-x'rs and Boomers with. Millenials expect prepayment for what they're about to do, in hopes they can actually do it. I was raised in a generation that you had to prove you could in fact, do the work. I appreciate and enjoy their confidence, and don't much care for what you might call "being entitled", though I can see this will become a protected…

This reflects more on our generation’s distrust of the systems that we work in than any kind of entitlement or misplaced confidence. As well as our general economic adversity/anxiety, debt, lack of future prospects, exploitation, etc.

This comment amuses me because the same people seem to have a high level of trust in the government as a general rule. Or at least in candidates on the left who advocate for a government that is more involved in day-to-day life.

Re: I Quit Google to Work for Myself (2018)

#174

Post by alpineidyll3 »

mtlynch wrote: post #142

Author here! Cool to see this pop up on HN again. I was wondering why I was getting so many Twitter notifications all of a sudden. As a quick update, I continue to be happy with my decision to leave Google. I enjoy working for myself, even though I haven't made much money at it yet. I'm ending 2019 with ~$7k in revenue, which isn't much, but it's a bump from the $2.2k I made in 2018. My savings are still far higher t…

Thanks for sharing this! Labor markets would be a nightmare without people who can reason through their own incentives like you :).

Re: I Quit Google to Work for Myself (2018)

#175

Post by heyflyguy »

BossingAround wrote: post #170
heyflyguy wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't disagree with you, only as a business owner I'd be pretty upset if I even knew that was going on amongst my new hires. If someone can't explain to me our company vision after 90 days, as well as their role in delivering it - I'm not saying they'll be fired but it's not a long term engagement between us.

> If someone can't explain to me our company vision after 90 days, as well as their role in delivering it - I'm not saying they'll be fired but it's not a long term engagement between us As a business owner, that would be your failure, not the new hire's. This seems like a highly US-centric point of view. In reality, either you give you new hire resources to learn these things, i.e. give enough time on the clock to d…

Re: Drucker

There are some people who need to be shown their way off the bus.

Re: I Quit Google to Work for Myself (2018)

#176

Post by heyflyguy »

kbutler wrote: post #131
heyflyguy wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't disagree with you, only as a business owner I'd be pretty upset if I even knew that was going on amongst my new hires. If someone can't explain to me our company vision after 90 days, as well as their role in delivering it - I'm not saying they'll be fired but it's not a long term engagement between us.

Isn't that a management failure? If the most effective way to "get promoted and rewarded" is substantially different from "benefit the company", then management is not directing effectively.

100% my point in fact.

Re: I Quit Google to Work for Myself (2018)

#177

Post by amznthrowaway5 »

vonseel wrote: post #169
m0zg wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Those statements aren't "terrifying" in the least once you consider that your relationship with the employer is a _business_ relationship. If the employer didn't want career games, they wouldn't reward them. As simple as that. If your company's official party line diverges from its reward structure, the best thing you can do for yourself is to follow the reward structure and ignore the exhortations to be doing things…

I will have to take a look at that link. Interesting thoughts, thanks for sharing. I don’t think the game is limited to the tech industry. What scares me is it seems pretty much all office jobs eventually turn into corporate politics / bs. On one hand, I can see how the politicking and playing the game seems to be in the best interest of the company - look! We’re getting stuff done and it looks awesome! OTOH, I worry…

On one hand, I can see how the politicking and playing the game seems to be in the best interest of the company - look! We’re getting stuff done and it looks awesome!

Often, behind the smoke and mirrors, not much is actually done. And then you may end up with a disastrous product launch like Google Stadia. Unfortunately most projects don't have similarly useful public evaluations to show how poorly they are actually delivering. Those who would put in the time to develop a good product wouldn't be promoted.

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